Postgraduate news and views

"Having Quentin Blake as the children's laureate has helped break down the barriers between art with a capital A and children's book illustration – it's now a hugely creative area for artists," says Martin Salisbury, course director of the two-year-old MA in Children's Book Illustration at Anglia Polytechnic University in Cambridge.

"Children's book illustration has become an increasingly important part of the whole illustration scene over the last few years, and as Cambridge is full of eminent illustrators, it's the ideal place for postgraduate provision." His studio-based course focuses on giving feedback to students, particularly on issues of sequencing and pace. "We're not teaching them to draw – they're already at an advanced level with that – but how to tell stories through visual pace. Writing with pictures is close to making films."

Student Paula Metcalf, who had a story published at the end of her degree in illustration, hopes the course will help her get more stories and pictures in print. "I have been mad about children's books for many years, so being able to specialise in this area at MA level is perfect for me."

Students range from undergraduates of illustration courses and professionals from other art and design disciplines, to established illustrators who want to take time out. "It gives them a chance to explore their creative potential more deeply and get away from the pressures of a commercial environment," says Salisbury.

In a true academic rags-to-riches story, Steve Price, 37, has gained a doctorate from Royal Holloway, University of London, after leaving comprehensive school with just two O-levels and spending several years as a brick-layer. His research has already had an impact on the prospects of endangered species like the water vole, and he now has a high-flying career as a research scientist ahead of him.

"When I left school, university just wasn't considered an option," he says, "but luckily I always had a vision that I would end up working in the wildlife area, and while travelling I met a lot of people who suggested I go back to university."

He returned to education at Royal Holloway, aged 29, via a mature student foundation course. "Part of my final year as an undergraduate in zoology was an independent project, and I found that I really enjoyed the research side of things. The PhD evolved out of that."

So does he see himself as a trailblazer for other early underachievers? "I do think anyone can do what I've done," he says, "I guess it's just about having the determination to go ahead and do it."

Analysis of contemporary and international media is the focus of a year-old MA in Communication, Culture and Media from Coventry University, which is already attracting students from Europe and South East Asia, as well as the UK.

The course spans four MA routes in applied communications, cultural analysis, international media and communications and visual cultures. Its leader, Shaun Hides, explains: "You can get bits and pieces of those in many other MA programmes, but I think what we've done that is significantly different from other courses is to do with our relationships with students and their international origins.

"Most postgraduate courses normally treat overseas students as an issue they have to deal with, whereas our attitude is exactly the opposite. We believe these people bring their own interests and expertise in their own medium and culture to the course, and, in many ways, know more than we do. So all the way through we're trying to find ways of enlisting and using their knowledge." Its students stem from a variety of backgrounds, including marketing, TV and media research, production and public relations. "We like people to come with a project, we want them to know what it is they want to do while they're here," says Hides.

emma@haughton.net